Give Me Your Hand
by Gwevin for Eternity
Summary: When their eyes first met, their fate was sealed. Love would never let them escape the story that awaited them...
1. Backseat Passenger

**Hey. So, here's my first actual Gwevin oneshot fanfic with chapters. I like to think it's a little higher quality than my previous ones, as I spent more time and consideration on it, so feel free to take a look and compare. **

**In this story I plan for fluff, squeals and happiness, but of course to get fluff, squeals and happiness, you need hurt, sadness and betrayal to test it and balance it out, so sorry for those of you who may be appalled at the sad stuff in this chapter. But I promise you smiles later on! **

**Love Gwevin For Eternity xx**

* * *

_Lost in the backseat of your car_

_Listening to the words you speak to The Other One_

_Tears will not fail me now_

_As I lose myself in the backseat of your car_

_Anon_

* * *

They ran through the darkness together, making no sound but the intake of their breath and the crunching of twigs beneath their feet.

Their shadows were seen only by the nocturnal, streaking through the night, their hands entwined around each other's.

They finally met the heart of the forest, where the big tree stood.

He climbed it first. It was pitch black, but he knew every bump and curve, every crack and every branch that belonged to it.

She followed, not far behind, swinging her little and light body up the tree until she was sitting on the same branch as him.

Her face was closer to his than she had expected it to be.

They stared into each other's eyes, the glimmer of the moon trapped in her emerald ones and the sparkle of the stars captured in his onyx ones.

They stayed like that for hours, too scared to move forwards but unable to look away.

"Gwen," he finally broke the silence, his breathing a little rasp, "I think you have to go now,"

"No I don't," she whispered.

"But it's past midnight. I don't want you to get into trouble with your 'rents…" She placed a finger on Kevin's lips, gently shushing him until he was quiet again, because she didn't want the moment to end.

Time passed, but they were too happy to care. Dawn broke, and the sun found them in each other's arms, sleeping softly.

The morning rolled out over the hills, and slowly, the world came to life.

They went to that tree every Friday night. Sometimes they would talk, or read, or occasionally Gwen would do homework and Kevin would study up on the latest alien activity, but mostly, they would just rest in each other's arms.

The first few times Ben had asked to go with them, but then he realised that it was just a Gwen-and-Kevin thing, and respected their privacy by staying away. He'd just hang out at Mr Smoothie's or with Julie, which he didn't mind. At all.

Obviously, Gwen's parents were furious when she came home at midnight, or as it was, more and more frequently, four in the morning. They knew she was in the tree, and with Kevin, and they knew she was sensible enough not to do anything stupid, but it hurt their pride to think their teenage daughter preferred sleeping in a tree next to her skanky boyfriend than she did sleeping in her own warm bed in their big three-floor mansion.

But Gwen felt it was worth getting told off. If she was grounded, she could usually plead and whine and eventually wrap them around her little finger, and if she was unable to do that, then she would just throw open the window and create mana steps down to the ground from her bedroom, so she could leave anyway. It was simply part of her routine - it slotted in perfectly around her schedule, and nothing would get in the way.

Kevin, on the other hand, had to shove things around a little. It wasn't that he was very busy, he just found he had to skive off things a bit, like helping his mom with the washing and sorting out a car for an ex - con buddy (he never dealt in tayneumnite anymore, or anything else. It was plain money, or maybe a cake if it was his elderly neighbour Mrs Walker, and of course it was free if it was for Ben or Gwen, or Grandpa Max, or any other Tennyson).

They both found this situation quite ironic, as Gwen was usually the one rearranging things, what with karate, school, homework and alien-busting-mana-studying-kick-butting. But whatever happened, they would always find the time on Friday night for the moments together that they valued so much.

This Friday night, as Kevin walked up to the spot where he usually met Gwen - outside the forest, on the pavement - his eyes were met with a brunette-haired girl, curled up and leaning against a streetlight, crying softly. "H-hello? Erm, are you okay?" he asked, slowly approaching her. The girl looked up, and Kevin saw her face was strewn with tears. She had ice blue eyes and a sickly pale face. She looked as if she'd been crying for a long time.

"I - I don't know," she murmured, lamely dragging a hand across her face to wipe away tears. "I think I'm a long way from home,"

"Oh… are you lost? Where do you live?"

"In Kurt, on the borders of the state,"

"How did you get here?"

"Well… I was running away from home, see. My Grandmother - she doesn't like me very much, because she never wanted my mum to marry her son - my dad. So I was at hers and she was yelling at me and I ran, and ended up here."

"Wow… that's… that's a little messed up, if you don't mind me saying."

"Yeah."

"Want a tissue?" he asked, pulling one out of his pocket. She took it from him and blew her nose, and then tossed it quickly and expertly into the bin at the other end of the street.

"Good shot," Kevin smiled.

"Thanks."

"Umm… do you want a lift home or something? I don't know exactly where Kurt is, but I'm supposed to be meeting someone here in a minute, and they'll probably know how to get there from here,"

"Oh… thanks! Really, thank you," the girl grinned, standing up. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Kevin. You?"

"Dianne. Dianne A -"

"Hey, Kevin!" a voice shot out behind them, and then, "Oh, who's this?"

"Hey, Gwen," Kevin replied coolly, turning around to face her. "This is Dianne. She's lost, and needs a ride home to Kurt. We were wondering if you knew how to get there?"

"Err… yeah; I've been there once or twice, back on the summer road trip. But isn't it easier just to get a cab? I'll pay, if you like," she said, eyeing up Kevin and the girl suspiciously.

"No, no, that's okay; we'll give you a lift, Dianne. Is it okay if you direct us, Gwen?" Kevin asked, coming across all innocent, but hoping his words taunted Gwen for being so inconsiderate and jumping to the conclusion that he was interested in Dianne.

"Yeah, sure!" Gwen smiled sweetly, acting like there was nothing wrong.

"Great! I'll go get the car."

Five minutes later and cruising down the motorway in Kevin's black-and-green car, Gwen slumped down in the backseat. Kevin switched on the radio and started singing to the stupid corny pop songs, trying to lift the tension in the air, but all it did was make Dianne giggle and Gwen slump down further.

She watched as he asked Dianne if she was too hot, or too cold, or if she wanted to stop for a drink or fries. Why wasn't he asking Gwen these things? Why was he so content on looking at Dianne every five minutes?

Gwen didn't want to direct this pathetic brunette little threat to her home, but she saw she had to. She had to get her out of the way.

"Straight over, next left, turn right, follow the signs from here," Gwen murmured, and half an hour later Dianne was hopping out of the car, thanking them both, and running into her house.

The ride back was an icy one. It looked as if there was going to be no tree meetings tonight so Kevin dropped Gwen off at hers. When Gwen climbed out of the car and barely waved a hand when in the street outside her house, Kevin called out after her: "Hey, don't I at least get a kiss goodbye?"

"Yeah, right! Wouldn't you rather a kiss goodbye from your beloved Dianne?" she shot back, turning to face him so sharply that her hair shot out behind her in a wild red frenzy. Kevin's heart melted, even though she was giving him her sternest of looks.

"Look, Gwen, I'm sorry, okay? I was just helping her out! What would you do if you found someone crying in the gutter?"

"But it's not just that though, is it? All those looks you were giving her, and 'Do you need food, or water, are you too hot, too cold, do you feel weak or faint, shall I call the doctor's-'"

"I was just trying to show hospitality! Seriously, why are you so paranoid now? Are you scared I'm going to swan off with some other girl? Is that it?"

"Oh, here we go! Blaming it on me, just because you can't take it, and God help us if I blamed it on Dianne -"

"Will you just quit it with the whole Dianne thing already?! I was trying to help her out, and it just so happens that she's a female! Why can't you understand that?"

"Maybe - maybe because I know you too well," Gwen muttered, and flounced off.

"What's that supposed to mean? Gwen, wait, wait up!" Kevin called, but it was no use.

She was already gone, disappeared into the cold darkness of the night.


	2. Falling Into Your Arms

**Heya. Yes, it's me again, and I come to your screens with my next chapter. I hope you like it - it's not just Gwevin in this one, it's Benlie too - and please review and follow! PS thanks to everyone who is already doing that! xx**

* * *

_Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter  
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun  
And I say it's all right_

_Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles_

* * *

He'd thrown her away. She was really gone, this time.

It had been three weeks. He was lost in endless phone calls and texts and voicemails, his head reeling from it all. He'd stood at Gwen's door and knocked until his knuckles bled countless times, but she wasn't coming out.

He'd eventually resorted to sitting on the floor in his bedroom and knuckling his eyes. He was too exhausted to carry on, yet… oh, shit; he loved her too much to cave in.

He wrote on a piece of paper, the climbed the tree outside Gwen's house and stuck it on a branch, so that when Gwen looked out of her window, the first thing she'd see was the note. Then he ran, like a coward, and waited.

He'd wait until his deathbed if he had to.

When Gwen opened the curtains to her bedroom the next morning, she was startled by the note:

_Gwen_

_I'm sorry_

_It's killing me_

_Please speak to me_

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Her heart skipped a beat. She'd stayed away from him for long enough. Her mom told her it was for the best, her dad told her that teenage relationships never last, but she _had _to at least try. She couldn't throw him away this easily. She didn't think she would ever admit to it, but she loved him. More than she ever imagined. He had obviously scampered away with half her heart at some point, because felt empty without him.

So she got dressed and ran. All the way to his. It would be the death of her, but she had to get there. She wore down the soles of her new All-Stars, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything, anything but Kevin.

It had eaten away at her every time he'd come round, or left a text or voicemail. She'd listened to the words he called, all the heart-breaking pleas, but her mother had stopped her from racing out to see him, a firm hand on her shoulder.

She'd listened to each voicemail six times, read and cried over each text, and it was all so stupid, now she could see. If it hurt her this much, why didn't she just go and see him?

Yeah, there was the whole Dianne thing - but she'd overreacted. She saw her mistakes. She wasn't going to throw him away over another girl.

She found herself on his doorstep quicker than she'd expected to, but she pounded on the door all the same.

He opened the door. His eyes opened wide.

She was here, really, really here, looking sad and lost and alone. He hadn't even imagined that she would turn up, but that didn't mean he was complaining.

Seriously, it didn't.

He waited for her. To yell at him, or to scream or cry or at least speak. He waited to know it was okay to do the same.

She didn't speak, though. She just fell against him, sobbing, and he staggered and then steadied himself, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her on the top of her head and then buried his face in her hair, to hide the tears that were not far behind, because Kevin Levin never cries. Not even over a girl who had half his heart, that had disappeared for too long and now was back in his arms.

He let himself fall with her, into a land that was just for the two of them.

The sadness was lifted, and everything was okay again.

* * *

The day got considerably brighter. Not just the feeling, but the weather. The skies opened up and down poured rays of gleaming sunlight, turning the world into a happy place once more.

And now they could _breathe. _More than that, they could start living again. The first thing they did was arrange to meet Ben at Mr. Smoothie's. When they got there, laughing and chatting and holding hands, Ben was relieved. There had been an iciness that had frosted over the team ever since their fight, and now it was gone, melted by the sun along with the grey, dull weather, and he was free to smile again.

"So, how's my Romeo and Juliet?" he asked, leaning against a sign that read _Mr Smoothie's - Cool and Groovy!. _

Kevin opened his mouth to correct him but Gwen beat him to it.

"Just fine, thanks," she grinned, leaning over and kissing Kevin on the cheek to show just how fine they were.

All the words Kevin wanted to say were lost, and he dissolved under the touch of Gwen's lips to his now-pink cheek.

"Good," Ben smiled. "Now how about a smoothie?"

After downing two sludge coloured turnip and parsley smoothies each, Ben, Gwen and Kevin all set out to go and support Julie at the county tennis finals. They got there with half an hour to spare, thanks to Kevin's ridiculously fast driving, so they could talk to Julie and help psych her up before the match. When they got there, her smile lit up her whole face.

"Guys! You made it! And you're early!" she grinned, racing up to them and nearly knocking over Ben with a big hug.

"Yeah… you can thank Kevin for that one, though I think I'm going to barf my smoothies," Gwen sighed, making Kevin cross his arms and smile smugly.

"Are you okay? Are you ready? Where's Ship?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine, Ben! It's just a little tournament! And Ship's round the back, doing - well - god knows what. Do you think you could look after him whilst I play?"

"Yeah, because we're Bellwood's finest alien pet-sitting service," Kevin reasoned, which made Ben elbow him.

"Ignore _him_. We'd be happy to, Julie. Now go out there and smash it!"

"What, the ball or the opponent?" she laughed. "I'll go get Ship."

Sitting in the bleachers with Ship leaping around at their feet, an hour later, Kevin waltzed off to buy food in the interval. Julie ran up to talk to Gwen and Ben - she was winning, and felt such a buzz - and by the time Kevin got back with burgers for all of them, the interval was over and Julie had started playing again.

"If she winths this," Ben said to Gwen with a mouth full of burger, "then I will be sho happy for her!"

"Me too," Gwen grinned, but after swallowing her mouthful. She wasn't going to stoop to her cousin's level.

"Yeah. Sheth's gonna win thith, hans down. Sheths in the lead," Kevin mumbled through his burger mouthful.

"Eughhh," Gwen groaned.

Of course, Julie did win. When _Game, Set _and _Match _was called, Ben leapt up. "GO JULIE!" he yelled. Julie giggled, covering her face with her hand. Yes, he embarrassed her, but he was Ben, and she didn't want him any other way.

They all went to Mr Smoothie's for the second time that day to celebrate, and even though by the evening they all felt sick, Julie managed to scooter home - with Ben on the back - and Kevin was all set to drive away.

"Want a lift?" he asked Gwen, starting up the engine.

"Mmhm… no, I was gonna walk to the forest…"

Kevin let the engine die, and the both disappeared into the night, grinning, twigs crunching beneath their feet and their hearts pounding all over again.


	3. Love Hearts

**Aww. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the end. I fear I'm wading in with the plotline too quickly, but there's alway more to be said, so I guess I'll just keep on with it. **

**Thank you to all my followers, favouriters, viewers and reviewers. It means a lot, so thanks again.**

**xxxxx**

* * *

_This is why we do it, this is worth the pain_

_This is why we bow down and get back up again_

_This is where the heart lies, this is from above_

_Love is this, this is love_

_This Is Love - The Script_

* * *

Gwen Tennyson woke up. Her eyes stung with that early-morning sting, but the crankiness that would usually follow was stopped by a sweet smell that whirled up her nostrils and made her smile. She couldn't imagine it was her mother cooking up anything sweet for breakfast, as she would be at work by now, and anyway, the smell was too close to be coming from downstairs.

She stretched out on her bed and then slowly pr ized herself away from it, blundering across her room to her dressing table. Her hand landed on something - a few things - that were small and hard and… sweet smelling?

She looked down, lifting her hand up. Underneath were four little Love Heart candies, small and sweet and staring her in the face.

"Wha…?" she murmured, as she picked each one up to study it. 'Cutie Pie' was written on one. 'Soft Lips' said another. 'My Girl' read the third. 'Beautiful' read the last.

Slowly, Gwen started to smile as she reached out for her cell phone and dialled Kevin's number.

It rang eight times, and them a cranky teenage gruffly answered, "Hello?"

Gwen giggled. "Did I wake you up, Kevin?"

There was a sound the other side of the line, that quite resembled someone falling out of bed, and then:

"Uh, no! No, not at all! Um, so, what's up?"

"Well… I guess I'm calling to say thanks for the Love Heart thingies. I don't know how you could have put them in here… you must've climbed up the tree and snuck in through the window whilst I was asleep, but…"

"What Love Heart thingies?"

"You know, the candy? That was really sweet of you."

"What candy? Sorry, must've been someone else," he said, but Gwen could hear the grin in his voice.

"Oh… what a pity… I s'pose I'd better go find out who it was, then…." she replied, grinning too.

"Yeah… I s'pose…"

Later on, as Gwen ferretted through her bag to make sure she had everything packed for her day at school, she found a Love Heart reading _Cool Chick_.

The same as she stuffed her hands into her coat pockets at school, _Kiss Me_.

In her textbooks - _Be Mine_.

Her locker - _You're Fab_.

Gym Kit - _Hug Me_.

Taped to her lucky pen - _Only You._

She didn't know how on earth he'd managed to get everything where it was - he didn't even go to school - but she couldn't stop grinning.

She found more in her purse, in her notebook, her spellbook (which she took everywhere with her, even school), in homework, stuck onto the top of her lip gloss… _everywhere_.

It kept on for days. She questioned Kevin about it endlessly, and even though he struggled to keep a straight face, he swore black and blue that he had nothing to do with it.

On Friday, day five of candy craziness, Gwen came home from school and plonked the thirteen Love Hearts she'd found that day into a jam jar.

"That makes thirty-two," she sighed, "and I haven't even gotten round to eating them yet."

"You're not meant to eat them," her mom said, gliding up behind her.

"What? But isn't that what candy's for?"

Gwen's mom laughed. "You sound just like you did when you were three! No, what I mean is that he's tried so hard. You can't go _eating _the time he's spent on you."

Gwen arched an eyebrow. "I thought you were having problems accepting Kevin?"

Natalie took a deep breath in, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, if he makes you happy, he makes me and your father happy."

Gwen smiled. "Thanks, mom. It means a lot."

Natalie nodded, beaming.

That evening was tree night. Gwen ran into the forest to meet him. He was there alright, swinging from a branch like Tarzan, except cuter and more toned.

"Hey, Kevin," she called up softly to him, yanking herself up the tree.

"Hey," he called back, pulling her up by the hand when she got close enough to him.

"So, umm, about the Love Hearts," she started, settling herself on the branch next to him.

"I keep telling you and telling you, I have nothing whatsoever to do with those candies!"

"Well, I've put them in a jar and there's thirty-two of them. I was talking to my mom about it and she said that she accepts you now, so you don't have to be barred from our house anymore. You can use the front door."

"Mmm…nah, think I prefer the window."

"What a surprise."

The night flew by quicker than they'd expected. When Kevin was drifting in and out of sleep in the morning, at some point he felt the wings of a butterfly beat against his cheek. He managed to open his eyes the tiniest crack to be met with Gwen's beautiful face. She waved, whispered goodbye and then was gone.

It wasn't the wings of a butterfly he had felt, it was a kiss, a sweet, soft kiss on his cheek from the girl that meant everything to him.

He closed his eyes, smiled, and fell asleep again.

All day Gwen did not have any Love Hearts waiting anywhere for her. Kevin was still probably asleep in the tree.

She spent her free time up until lunch decorating the jar she kept the Love Hearts in, inking little candies onto a piece of paper and then sticking it around the edge

Kevin met up with her for lunch at Burger Shack, where she challenged him about the candy again, but he stood his ground.

"I'll just have to start asking around, then," Gwen grinned. "There are lots of boys that like me… Dylan, Jake, Cooper…"

"What, Cooper… techno kid Cooper?"

"Why not? He's got a crush on me, right? And he's really sweet, so I bet he would have put a lot of time and thought into it… and come up with the Love Hearts thing."

"It's probably him, then," Kevin nodded.

"Mmm. Or it could've been Dylan, like I said, from school. He's a jock, you know."

"Jocks aren't very thoughtful though, are they?"

"Dylan is. He's really sweet."

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," Kevin sighed.

"What?" Gwen said innocently, batting her eyelashes.

Kevin just rolled his eyes.

"If you want me, Kevin, you're going to have to show it," Gwen sighed.

"What? Hey, I am showing it! What about the Love Hearts?"

"Aha! So it was you!"

"Well, yeah, it was pretty obvious."

"To you, maybe, but not to me."

"But you kept going on about how you knew it _was_ me!"

"And you kept denying it!"

"Oh come on, I was only playing a game!"

"Kevin, we're not a game," Gwen said, lowering her voice so it came out stern. "I'm serious about you. I really, really like you. If you like me back, then you have to start acting like it."

With that, she got up and left.

"I am acting like it! What about the candy?"

But she was already gone.

Later on, evening time, Gwen was in her room when she heard the letterbox swoosh downstairs. Her, parents were out, so she was alone in the house. She sighed, getting up from her seat where she'd been doing boring revision, and headed downstairs.

On the carpet, in front of the door, was a Love Heart. Gwen groaned, picking it up, all ready to toss it across the room.

But then she read the message on it.

_I Love You_.

So sweet, so simple… but so beautiful.

It was the thing the two of them had been too scared to say for so long.

And here it was, on a piece of candy.

Her insides squealed as she pulled open the door.

Already halfway down the street was Kevin, mooching along all by himself in the cold night.

"Kevin! Wait up!" she called out.

He spun around, his face lighting up.

She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, and she whispered into his ear:

"I love you too."


	4. Minnie

**Heya! Sorry about the delay. Got a bit lagged behind with some stuff, but I really liked playing around with the wording to make the characters shown in different lights in this chapter. Please tell me what you think! P.S. I might start working on another Gwevin fanfic called Open Souls... PM me or review this with any ideas you have and I'll slide your name in. xxx **

* * *

_Here I go,  
Scream my lungs out and try to get to you,  
You are my only one.  
I let go,  
There's just no one that gets me like you do  
You are my only,  
My only one._

_Only One - Yellowcard _

_(Best song ever)_

* * *

It was almost a month until Gwen and Kevin saw each other again.

Gwen went on a school study trip to Paris, leaving Ben and Kevin behind to fight the stupid Forever Knights. Then, a day before Gwen got home, Kevin left Bellwood on 'business'. Gwen was gutted.

"Why has he gone? Is he avoiding me? _Where_ has he gone? To do what?" were just a few of the questions she bombarded Ben with when he broke the news.

"Hi, cuz. Yeah, fighting Forever Knights was fine, I didn't break anything, thanks for asking," he sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just… those three words, and then… nothing,"

"Wait… what three words?"  
"He hasn't told you, has he?"

"Told me what? What hasn't he told me? Gwen?"  
"_Well_… we kind of shared a moment,"

"A moment? What kind of moment?"

"He told me he loved me through a piece of candy, and I said it back to him,"

"Wait… _what_? Candy? Wha… how… Kevin… you… oh man, I'll never understand you two,"

"Nor will I," the redhead sighed. "So did he say where he was going?"

"No. He just said he was leaving town on business, and would be back soon,"

"When is soon? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?"

"Look, I don't know, okay? Ask him!"

"How can I, if he's not here?"

"You two called each other loads whilst you were away, right? Call him now!" Gwen already had her phone out, punching in Kevin's number and then slamming it against her ear.

"Hello? Hello? Kevin?" she yelled, but it went straight to voicemail. "He's turned the damn thing off!" she exploded, and threw her phone to the ground.

"Hey, hey, Gwen, calm down," Ben huffed. He picked her phone up off the ground and passed it to her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "It's just that I don't see him for three weeks, all I get is a bundle of phone calls and a few cruddy postcards, and then I get back to find that he's swanned off on one of his dodgy business trips. He's impossible! And so stupid, too! He just doesn't think! I hate that boy!" She sniffed, rubbing her head as her face crumpled. "No I don't. I love him. I miss him."

"Hey, come here. I'm sure he'll be back soon, like he said," Ben said softly, giving his cousin a quick hug. "In the meantime, you can fill his boots and help me get to the bottom of the Forever Knight's stupid plan to take over the world."

"Yeah, right. Like they'll ever be able to do that," Gwen grinned, untangling herself from Ben.

"_There _we go. Now that's the Gwen I know," he smirked.

Eight painful days later, in the evening, when Gwen had wrapped up the Forever Knights plot, finished her study review and also found the time to leave Kevin thirteen messages (and that was just on that day), she heard a soft knock at the door. She jumped, sending reviews and study paper flying, but for once she didn't give a tricycle. She flew to the door, opening it so quickly it made a draft, and there he was, her raven-haired boyfriend standing tall in front of her, grinning all over his face. "Kevin!" she screamed, and threw herself at him, almost knocking him over with a hug.

"Oh, Gwen!" he said, his voice horse and cracking a little as if he was about to cry. "Man, I've missed you!" He wrapped his arms tight around her, closing his eyes and inhaling her soft, warm scent that he'd almost forgotten about. His eyes stung with tears but he would not cry, because we all know that Kevin Levin never cries.

"I've missed you too! Oh why oh _why_ did you have to go on that stupid trip! I thought you were avoiding me!"

"Oh, come on, who would want to do that?" he grinned playfully, all composure regained. He tilted her chin up and kissed her softly, but she shoved him in the chest and broke off.

"I'm serious, Kevin! Eight days! Was it really that important?"

"Shh now. All will be revealed soon." He leant in again, but she pulled back.

"And how do I trust you on that one? I was on the verge of _dying _without you!"

"Oh, Gwen," he said again, and had to bite his lip hard because he could feel tears welling up all over again. "Me too, me too. But I promise you it was worth it." She arched an eyebrow. "I _promise_."

"Alright then," she grinned, and this time didn't hesitate as he leant in and kissed her longingly, running his hands through her hair and breaking off to smile every now and then because he'd forgotten how electric he felt when the two of them kissed. It was like sticking your fingers in a plug socket, minus the pain or sticking-up-on-end hair. He knew that he'd never feel like this about another girl. Gwen was his only one.

A week passed and the three of them - four, if you counted Julie, but she was having a busy season with tennis matches - settled back into routine. Gwen juggled fighting evil, school and annoying parents but found relief in Kevin; Ben was constantly plagued by paparazzi, journalists and news reporters and relied on Mr Smoothies (and Julie if she was free) to get him through; and Kevin continued to be a cheeky, playful nuisance, scolded by Ben and Gwen (although Gwen knew that she wouldn't take him any other way. He was her only one).

They all enjoyed this active, yet tiring routine. Gwen still waited for her answer to why Kevin was away before, hinting on it sometimes but never asking him directly; wanting to show that she could trust him. He always replied with a simple: "Soon, I promise."

She tried not to grow impatient after two weeks, keeping her mind occupied by guessing what it could all be about. A new addition to his car? An upgrade for Ben's watch? A present for her, maybe?

She was right on the last one. The day before it became three weeks she'd been waiting - not that she'd been counting or anything - he turned up on her door with a big box.

"Can we go up to your room?" he asked.

"Sure," Gwen grinned. "What's in the box?"

He didn't reply, just stomped on up the stairs.

"Want some help?" she asked.

"Nah, I can manage. It's not heavy."

He got upstairs and gently placed the box on her dressing table. She thought she could hear a noise coming from inside the box, but it was so quiet and over so quickly she decided she had imagined it.

"What've you got stashed away in there, then?" she asked again.

"Take a look," he said, grinning and taking a step back as she took one forward.

She lifted the flaps, slowly, her heart thumping.

A tiny mewling kitten was staring straight back up at her, with eyes so big and blue she thought she was going to cry.

"Kevin! You brought me a _kitten_?!" she squealed.

"Thought you'd like it. Free to a good home, thought it did cost a bit to get it wormed and de-fleaed."

"It's so breathtakingly _beautiful_!" she whined, reaching in and picking it up. It had a black face, black body and legs, but a white nose, tiny white paws and a white tummy. Kevin had tied a pink bow between its ears, clearly implying it was a girl. It leant against her, so relaxed and calm.

"She looks like Minnie Mouse," Gwen giggled, flicking her bow.

"That can be her name then," Kevin smiled, walking over to her. "Minnie."

"Oh, Kevin! She's _amazing_! You're amazing!" Gwen squealed. She leant back against Kevin, and he put his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder to peer at the kitten. "But whatever will my 'rents say?"

"Dealt with," Kevin said smoothly. "Took me ages to get round them, but they eventually caved in when I said I'd paint their garage and hover the house free of kitten hairs every weekend."

"Oh! I'll get them to lay it off, don't worry. She's just the best present anyone's ever given me in my whole entire life!"

"I'm sorry about the delay. I know it took a while, but I had to go up north a bit to get to the people who were selling her, and then I couldn't choose whether to get her or this other little cute one, and on my way back I bunked at a friends to get her de-fleaed and wormed at a top-class vet's."

"You didn't have to do that! Oh, Kevin!" she squirmed, clutching Minnie to her chest. She nuzzled against Gwen, shutting her eyes and then purring loudly. "I think she's asleep."

"See? She really wants to be yours," Kevin grinned, sitting down on Gwen's bed.

"_Ours_," Gwen corrected him, sitting down next to him.

"But-"

"No buts!" Gwen interrupted him, whizzing round and placing a finger to his lips. "Ours."

She nestled against him again, and as he wrapped his arms around her she closed her eyes, just like the kitten, and fell asleep.


End file.
